Home by Midnight is in the midst of a career change at the age of 8.

Sunday, Home by Midnight will have his stakes debut over obstacles in the $96,625 Australian Hurdle at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, the gelding’s 61^st start.

An 11-time winner, Home by Midnight won his only other appearance in a hurdle race, beating maidens last August in his final start of 2020. This year, Home by Midnight is winless in three starts in flat races, including a second in the Terang Cup at about 1 5/16 miles at Terang Racecourse on April 18.

For four years, Exultant has been the best 1 1/2-mile horse in Hong Kong. Granted, this is not fertile territory for such racehorses. Hong Kong prizes its sprinters and milers. The staying ranks are thin, indeed. Exultant has stood at their forefront since May 2018, when he won in his first Hong Kong start over 2,400 meters, the metric equivalent of 1 1/2 miles.

As a rare white Thoroughbred, the Japanese filly Sodashi was always going to catch the eye. Her race record is as notable as her looks.

Sodashi is a champion unbeaten in five starts, but will have her toughest test in the Grade 1 Japanese Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday. The $2.3 million Japanese Oaks, formally known as the Yushun Himba, will be Sodashi’s first start at 1 1/2 miles.

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There will be no Love on Sunday at The Curragh. In fact, there might not be any kind of racing Sunday at The Curragh, where a week’s worth of rain has left the famed Irish course waterlogged heading into Guineas weekend.

Mugatoo and Sir Dragonet have already claimed major prizes in Australia this year in advance of their third meeting of 2021 in Saturday’s Group 1 Doomben Cup at Doomben Racecourse in Brisbane.

Mugatoo won the $3.85 million All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley on March 13, a race in which Sir Dragonet finished ninth of 15. Sir Dragonet later won the Group 1 Tancred Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Royal Randwick Racecourse on April 3.

A dozen 3-year-olds, no standouts, are entered in Saturday’s Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh.

Lucky Vega as of Thursday was a general 5-2 favorite in antepost wagering, but it’s hard to see him having any decided edge. His support hinges on Lucky Vega’s level of accomplishment, which is sufficiently high, but also on course conditions, with the Guineas, run around a gentle right-handed turn, expected to be contested over legitimately soft going.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, May 23, 2021)

Prospero won a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Hawkesbury Racecourse in Australia last November, and won a one-mile handicap at Port Macquarie Racecourse in April.

Those are the highlights of the 5-year-old gelding’s career in the last six months, and on Friday he appears in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Coffs Harbour Racecourse on the Australian East Coast on Friday.

Paul Lally:

R1 4-1-5-2
R2 4-5-2-1
R3 2-9-11-1
R4 5-2-11-9
R5 5-3-7-1
R6 7-5-9-6
R7 7-2-9-8
R8 3-1-4-5
R9 11-10-8-1

Best Bet R8 N3 Special M
Longshot R3 N2 Baltic Whisper
Play R3 QQP 2-9-11

Mark McNamara:

R1 – 1.4.5.7
R2 – 5.1.4.2
R3 – 6.9.11.7
R4 – 5.2.9.8
R5 – 5.7.6.8
R6 – 5.7.1.6
R7 – 7.2.1.6
R8 – 4.3.1.6
R9 – 2.11.1.10

The name is deceiving. The Australian filly Aperol Sprint thrives in distance races.

Aperol Sprint has won 3 of 17 starts, with all the victories at 1 1/4 miles. Thursday at Hawkesbury Racecourse near Sydney, Aperol Sprint will start in a handicap at the slightly longer distance of 1 5/16 miles.

Trained by Matthew Smith, Aperol Sprint is having an excellent month. On May 5 at Wagga Wagga Racecourse, Aperol Sprint won a handicap at 1 1/4 miles by a short head, displaying her customary style of stalking the pace to the final furlong.